ABOUT
LOCATED IN AUSTIN, TX ON THE AUSTIN FILM STUDIOS BACKLOT, OUR DEVELOPMENT STUDIO BRIDGES THE UNIQUE GAP OF ENTERTAINMENT AND TECHNOLOGY TO GIVE AUDIENCES A ONE-OF-A-KIND IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE THAT HAS TO BE SEEN TO BE BELIEVED. BASED ON VR RESEARCH AND OUR OWN CODE-BASED SECRET SAUCE.
Ghost Machine was established in 2014 by a team of AAA game developers with published titles released from publishers EA, Dreamworks and visual effects specialists from Sony Pictures Imageworks, Digital Domain and Rhythm & Hues Studio. With an Academy Award winning creator, our goal is on virtual reality games to create epic, big screen arcade experiences in the immersive VR games market.
We develop and produce in-house original titles, such as Superbike TT and Motorsport VR as well as work with third party publishers and marketing teams to extend their existing brands into new interactive IPs.
We strive to bring quality original artwork and design to our clients and bring fresh exciting experiences to players.
Neal Nellans
Founder + CEO
Mr. Nellans has over 15 years of professional game making experience. After Graduating with a BFA in Computer Animation from the Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota, FL, Mr. Nellans was immediately recognized for his work in Animation by being awarded the 1998 Gold Medal Academy Award for his Animated short entitled, “Jataka” later earning the Digital Cinematography Scholarship from the Hollywood visual effects studio Rhythm and Hues, where he also interned.
Following his initial introduction in the film industry, Mr. Nellans was approached by Steven Spielberg to work first at Dreamworks SKG and then Electronic Arts on an Original WWII video game which later became known as Medal of Honor. He continued to work on the first three Medal of Honor titles developing 3D environments and multiplayer level design. Mr. Nellans founded the mobile games company, “Tiny Utopia” in 2006 and has also written and directed a feature film entitled, “Fossil” which received accolades in both Domestic and International Film Festivals for it’s unique blend of live action and computer animated film making.
David Ballard
Business Development Advisor
With a background in digital media production, David has led product strategy, experimental hardware prototypes, virtual reality experiences, and more for a wide variety of clients including: Disney, Marvel, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Lego, BET and more. While at Chaotic Moon Studios, David worked on a team of writers, designers, thinkers, and strategists who supported new business initiatives while advising existing clients. During that time, he had the opportunity to embrace the studio’s relationship with William Morris Endeavor, working with their clients on digital strategy and transmedia initiatives. He would also go on to co-create an internal game development practice at the studio, serving as Games Creative Lead.
David launched his career in creative technology with the growing advent of smartphones in 2008, co-founding a small studio in Chicago. There, he produced a handful of mobile game titles, one of which would go on to be featured by Apple both in the App Store and on-device in retail locations. The game - bitFLIP - was recognized for its innovative sound design and integrated electronic soundtrack. The growth of mobile content and harsh realities of content monetization inspired the company to pivot; developing a groundbreaking platform for in-game advertising (acquired by MediaMath in 2012). The platform was the first of its kind - created by a collaborative team of game designers and digital ad veterans.
Most recently, David served as Senior Digital Producer at Cutting Edge Group’s new technology startup - CAAST - where he helped spearhead the design, product vision, and development of a new digital storytelling platform that combines the core principles of graphic novels, cinematic storytelling, and adaptive audio.
Outside the tech space, David is a writer and co-founder of AlleyCat comics in Chicago. He is based in Austin, Texas.
Burnes Hollyman
Development Director
Mr. Hollyman has over 25 years of new media, interactive and game making experience. After graduating from NYU with a BA in film and a MA and all course work for his PhD at the University of Texas, Austin, Mr. Hollyman was recruited by ITT, where he ran its strategic planning unit. He was promoted to manage several of its operating companies in its High Tech Sector as a hands-on COO. Mr. Hollyman was then recruited to Silicon Valley, where he managed a division of Tymshare Tymnet and CEO of its joint venture company with Telecom Italia.
He was SVP in charge of Worldwide New Media at the legendary firm Renaissance before joining the Documentum (now EMC) senior management executive team as SVP where he started, built and successfully ran its Worldwide Services organization. He left Documentum to start the Digital Entertainment Alliance where he was also an investor and on the management team of Planet Texas Interactive which developed mobile and immersive games, special effects and animation. He started Gamerista, a video game R & D company specializing in virtual and augmented reality in 2010 and helped start Ghost Machine Studios with Mr. Nellans.
Mr. Hollyman has built a number of virtual worlds and designed hundreds of digital entertainment experiences ranging from video games to interactive and leading edge experimental technologies for companies like Sony, Microsoft, Disney Interactive,Playfirst, Dreamwoks, WB Games, Nintendo and many others.